So, why is it in a pirated copy of Outlander ? This is where the plot thickens. Mainstream streaming services (like Starz, where Outlander airs) use proprietary, hardware-accelerated encoders to compress their videos. They don't use OpenH264.
If you have browsed the darker corners of the internet for a copy of Outlander Season 7, Episode 4—titled "A Most Uncomfortable Woman"—you might have stumbled upon a strange filename: Outlander.S07E04.OpenH264.mkv . To the average fan, it looks like a typo or a bizarre code. To those in the know, it is a fascinating digital fingerprint pointing to a controversial, open-source video codec and the shadowy world of release groups. outlander s07e04 openh264
If you are a legitimate viewer, you will never see the word "OpenH264." Your Starz, Netflix, or Amazon Prime stream will quietly use a professional encoder. If you do see it, you are likely on a torrent site, and the video quality you’re about to watch will be a pale imitation of the real thing. So, why is it in a pirated copy of Outlander